St. Francis’s Remains Go on Month-Long Public Display in Assisi

Overview

• The exhibition opened on February 22 in the lower church of the Basilica of Saint Francis and runs through March 22, marking the 800th anniversary of his death.
• Roughly 1,500 visitors per hour viewed the relics on opening day, totaling about 18,000 people after lines formed before dawn.
• Access is by reservation via the official site, with metal detectors and checkpoints, and groups of about 750 admitted every 30 minutes.
• Nearly 400,000 bookings have been recorded worldwide, with organizers expecting up to about 15,000 visitors on weekdays and 19,000 on weekends.
• The bones rest in a sealed plexiglass vitrine covered by an external anti-theft, bulletproof glass case, and specialists say subdued lighting and the sealed display prevent damage; the remains were previously shown publicly only once, in 1978, and Italy will observe October 4 as a national holiday for the saint.